A. Dean Byrd, former president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH)

I recently came across this blog post that lists quotes from the book. To summarize, apparently the authors are of the opinion that gays (and lesbians) are pedophiles in that they “yearn for any-and-all sexual behavior to be permissible” including “adult-child sex”, “exploitation of children by adults”, “decriminaliz[ation] of sex between adults and adolescents”, etc. (I’m not sure whether these are accurate quotes because I’m referencing a second-hand source – I have no interest in reading a book that appears to be fairly biased.) The authors probably cite statistics such as these to support their claims.

I’m no expert on the pathology of pedophilia, but I am an expert on my life, and I’m familiar with the lives of my friends. I disagree with the conclusions these authors make based on my personal convictions and experiences and the convictions and experiences of my friends. There are many forms and types of sexual behavior that I (we) think should remain illegal including “adult-child” sex. In fact, I spent one year of my undergraduate career educating my campus community on the adverse effects of sexual assault. In short, sweeping generalizations such as those asserted in this book are incredibly aggravating, dishonest, and problematic. And I really hope few people accept these statements and opinions as truth.

I invite readers of this blog to share their thoughts on the assertions of A. Dean Byrd and Douglas A. Abbot regarding the myth that gays and lesbians are pedophiles.